Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association

Our Story

On June 6, 1903, under the direction of President Harry M. Vastine, D.O., the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Association (POA) received its charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The newly incorporated association was organized to “Conserve, consolidate and protect the highest interests of the science and the art of osteopathy, and for the purpose of securing to the people of the state of Pennsylvania the privileges of unrestricted practice of [osteopathic medicine].” In 1903, in one of his first acts as president, O.J. Snyder, D.O., appointed and headed a legislative committee to work on securing a law governing the practice of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania. Without state regulations, the POA took on the responsibility to self-govern the membership and the profession. After years of effort, The Osteopathic Practice Act was signed by Governor Edwin A. Stuart in 1909. This act formally recognized the practice of osteopathic medicine, allowing for the examination and licensing of osteopathic physicians in Pennsylvania. By 1939, the POA reorganized into eight districts. Delegates from each of these districts met once a year as the House of Delegates to form a policy-making body that represented D.O.s across the commonwealth. In 1941, in order to handle the ever-increasing membership and subsequent volume of work, the House of Delegates established a Central Office to act as a clearinghouse for all association matters. The POA Central Office officially opened on July 1, 1942, in Harrisburg. A year later, in December 1943, The Pennsylvania Osteopathic Journal was created to keep members informed of issues affecting the profession. Pennsylvania’s osteopathic physicians were finally granted unlimited practice rights in 1956. Under Act 311, D.O.s were given the status of “physicians and surgeons.” Each D.O. received a new license, adding major surgery to his/her qualifications. Even as osteopathic physicians gained increasing practice rights in Pennsylvania, most allopathic hospitals still did not allow D.O.s to treat patients within their institutions. In order to fill this need, osteopathic physicians opened their own infirmaries and hospitals. D.O.s made some inroads into allopathic institutions in the 1960s; and by the 1970s, D.O.s and M.D.s were beginning to work together on hospital staffs and on health committees. In 1972, the POA dedicated its current Central Office building on Eisenhower Boulevard in Harrisburg and voted to change its name to the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA). POMA continues to be an advocate for its membership to governmental bodies, third-party payors and health-related organizations. The association, which currently represents over 8,400 osteopathic physicians, residents and interns and 2,590 students, keeps its members up-to- date with The Journal of the POMA, a biweekly newsletter and a website designed to provide the very latest information. On March 1, 2017, the POMA launched its social media presence with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to share relevant and interesting articles, upcoming event information, and discussion boards on topics important to our members! Member participation on our social media platforms help us better understand and serve the needs of Pennsylvania’s osteopathic physicians and continue to keep POMA on the Move!